Cathedral Of Notre-Dame. Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Lausanne Cathedral

of Notre-Dame,
Switzerland.

Photo: 15 May 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Arnaud Gaillard

(arnaud () amarys.com).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Notre-Dame Cathedral,

Lausanne, Switzerland.

Photo: 18 September 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Likasia

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Lausanne is a Cathedral situated in the city of Lausanne, in the canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It belongs to the Swiss Reformed Church.

Construction of the Cathedral began as early as 1170, by an unknown Master Mason. Twenty years later, another Master Mason restarted construction until 1215. Finally, a third Engineer, Jean Cotereel, completed the majority of the existing Cathedral, including a Porch, and two Towers, one of which is the current Belfry. The other Tower was never completed.

English: The Rose Window,

in the South Transept,

Lausanne Cathedral, Switzerland.

Français: Intérieur de la Cathédrale de Lausanne,

ville de Lausanne (Suisse).

Photo: 23 September 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Guérin Nicolas.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Nave,

Lausanne Cathedral, Switzerland.

Photo: 14 August 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Cassinam

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral was consecrated in 1275 by Pope Gregory X, King Rudolph of Hasburg, and the Bishop of Lausanne, Guillaume of Champvent. The Mediaeval architect, Villard de Honnecourt, drew the Rose Window, of the South Transept, in his sketchbook, in 1270.

The Protestant Reformation, a powerful religious movement which swept down from Zurich, significantly affected the Cathedral. In 1536, a new Liturgical area was added to the Nave and the colourful decorations inside the Cathedral were covered over. Other major restorations occurred later in the 18th-Century and 19th-Century, which were directed by the great French architect, Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.

During the 20th-Century, major restorations occurred to restore the painted Interior decorations, as well as to restore a painted Portal on the South Side of the Cathedral. New Organs were installed in 2003.

Vaulted Ceiling.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame,

Lausanne, Switzerland.

Image: VALAIS

The great Pipe Organ, of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Lausanne, was inaugurated in December 2003. It is a unique instrument in the world. It took ten years to design and it is composed of 7,000 pipes, two consoles, five claviers, and one pédalier.

It is the first Organ in the world to be designed by a designer. The first Organ to contain all four of the principal Organ styles (Classical, French Symphony, Baroque, German Romanesque). It is also the first Organ manufactured by an American company (Fisk) for a European Cathedral. It cost a total of Six million Swiss Francs, took 150,000 man-hours to build and weighs 40 tons. It was preceded by a Kuhn Organ, from 1955, which has since been relocated to the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, in Gdańsk, Poland.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame,

Lausanne, Switzerland.

Photo: 19 August 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: ViktorEP.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral has a total of seven Bells that are suspended on two floors of the Belfry. The two biggest Bells are located on the lower level, while all the other Bells are on the top level. The oldest Bell dates from 1493, while the most recent bells date from 1898. The Bells are still used today to mark the hours.

Since 1405, without interruption, the City of Lausanne has maintained a lookout in the Cathedral Bell Tower. The lookout announces the time by yelling the hour from 10 p.m., to 2 a.m., 365 days a year. The lookout cries the hour to each cardinal direction "C'est le guet, il a sonné [dix]". The original purpose of the lookout was to provide a warning in case of fire, though it has now become a traditional function.

The seven Bells are named: Marie-Madeleine; Clémence; Lombarde; Centenaire 1;1666; Centenaire 2; Couvre-Feu.